Chapter 24: Partial examination (4)

Chloe ran through the underbrush.

With her sword in hand, she cut through the thick vines as she pushed forward along the mountain slope, with no clear destination in mind. She only knew she needed to find the silhouette of someone in that same area.

The words of Kang Geom-Ma, who had gripped her shoulder to ask for help, echoed in her mind: “Chloe, no matter what, bring someone.” She remembered the look in his eyes, which normally showed overwhelming fatigue but now were more serious than ever as he headed alone toward the demon.

A broad, powerful back like the ocean, and in each hand, one of his sharp blades. How would he be now? No one at the academy knew Kang Geom-Ma’s strength as well as she did.

He was, without a doubt, the strongest person she had ever known, and yet, she felt uneasy.

This time, his opponent was a demon capable of using magic—an exceptionally difficult enemy for Kang Geom-Ma, whose specialty was the sword.

Chloe decided she had to locate another team as soon as possible.

With that determination, she activated every blessing she could use, channeling all the energy into her legs.

The effort caused steam, with a faint scent of blood, to rise from her tense muscles.

The landscape around her became a blur as she ran, the cold, sharp wind hitting her cheeks and the sound of air whistling behind her red hair.

Though she moved at her top speed, her steps still sounded heavy.

She didn’t reach even half of Kang Geom-Ma’s speed, but the pain radiating from her legs up to her abdomen was so intense it left her dazed.

Suddenly, a thought struck Chloe. Did Kang Geom-Ma endure this level of pain—or perhaps something even worse—all the time? Remembering how he always tried to avoid fighting, drawing his sword only in extreme situations, her eyes began to mist.

The tears weren’t from the pain in her legs but from the sadness of not being strong enough. Kang Geom-Ma always put his body on the line to protect his team, even now, facing a demon without hesitation.

Chloe murmured to herself, “Kang Geom-Ma, I’m on my way. Please…”

Boom, boom, boom!

As she pushed herself to her limit, she heard the sound of trees crashing and something exploding in the direction of the pond.

Then, a sudden rain fell from the clear sky. Something was definitely happening. She desperately wanted to head in his direction, but Chloe pressed her lips together and held herself back; the taste of blood filled her mouth.

Even though she urgently needed help, she couldn’t see anyone around. Gritting her teeth, she opened her mouth and screamed with all her might.

“Please!!! Is anyone here?!”

Never in her life had she shouted so loudly. She was willing to tear her vocal cords if it meant someone could hear her.

With the rain falling like a curtain, all she could do was keep calling for help, caught between desperation and helplessness.

A small cry for help, lost in the echo of the mountain.

It was then that Chloe’s eyes widened. A dark silhouette quickly passed through the edge of her vision. Using a tree as support, she changed direction toward it.

The force of the wind pushed her, and the trunk of the old tree she used as leverage snapped.

With a tearing sound, Chloe felt her calf muscles strain all the way up to her knees. Still, she didn’t stop.

Finally, Chloe came to a halt before them, blurred figures that she could barely make out.

“Huh?!”

The same sound of surprise came from their mouths when they saw her appear out of nowhere, their faces showing shock.

While breathing heavily, Chloe felt her mouth go dry, and her irregular breathing made her lips feel cracked and parched.

Her vision blurred, and the shadows of the people she saw seemed to merge and separate on her retina.

Her body felt as if all her energy had drained after activating all her blessings.

“…Help… me…”

Her voice, broken and dry, escaped from her parched lips. Her hand trembled as she extended it in a gesture of supplication. One of them took her hand, a rough palm covered in calluses.

She didn’t have the strength to lift her head. Chloe wavered and let herself fall, leaning against someone’s chest as she slowly looked up.

It was a girl with long blue hair and golden eyes. Though her face seemed vaguely familiar, she couldn’t focus well enough to recognize her.

The girl and four others, who seemed to be her team, looked at Chloe with expressions of surprise and concern.

As her consciousness began to fade, Chloe, with her last bit of strength, lifted a finger, pointing in a direction. She could hear them saying something, but the buzzing in her ears drowned out their voices, making it impossible to understand.

“Please… help Kang Geom-Ma…”

With those final words, Chloe’s memory of her first midterm exam cut out completely.

***

Speed Weapon reflected. He wondered if he would ever experience shock like this again in his entire life.

He was certain that the scene he was witnessing today would be forever etched into his memory.

Kang Geom-Ma extended his sword and traced a diagonal line through the air.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the movement itself, nor about its execution.

Yet, both he and Rachel felt a deep chill, as if an icy coldness seeped through each vein and enveloped them entirely.

A simple cut.

But that physical action had transformed into something abstract, like a concept unto itself. Analytical as always, Speed Weapon wanted to describe that moment, though he didn’t fully grasp what he had just witnessed.

How could he explain it in words? Perhaps the only possible description was:

“Cut… and it splits.”

There was no other way to explain it. Kang Geom-Ma’s technique was on a level that couldn’t be reduced to comparisons or simple words. Trying would be a waste of time.

Even the large group of mermen, who had surrounded them just moments before, fled in unison upon seeing Kang Geom-Ma’s cut, as though they’d suddenly made a pact. As rudimentary as their minds were, even they seemed to possess a survival instinct.

Speed Weapon glanced at Rachel. Her eyes, widened in a mix of shock and disbelief, showed an expression he had never seen on her face before. She collapsed to the ground, her face pale, unable to process what she had just seen.

Speed Weapon had known her for over ten years, but he had never seen her look like this.

Perhaps, from her perspective as a warrior, she had perceived something he could not.

After all, as skilled as she was as the successor of the Changseong house, something like this was beyond even her imagination. Wide-eyed, Speed Weapon stared at Kang Geom-Ma’s back.

He had split the incoming water projectile that had flown toward him like a torpedo.

That magic, which concentrated all the power of the surrounding water energy, had caused such an impact that a clear rain now fell from the sky.

‘Who the hell are you, really…?’

He hadn’t just cut through the water but had sliced through the magic itself. Speed Weapon couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

It was so outlandish that it defied all logic. Within less than a minute, his understanding of what was possible had been shattered multiple times.

He felt chills throughout his body, an uncontrollable tremor that he could only express with a quiet, breathy laugh. Perhaps his mind had become a little unhinged.

Some people said demons were synonymous with terror, and with good reason. Despite numbering only a few million, they managed to threaten billions of humans.

There was no guide on what to do if you encountered a demon.

All you could do was pray for a quick death.

“Ah… ah… ah…”

But now, ironically, that demon they so feared was trembling with terror in front of them. The position of strong and weak had changed drastically. Speed Weapon felt a profound sense of relief that lifted a heavy weight off his chest. A strange sense of satisfaction began to fill him.

Step.

Kang Geom-Ma advanced. The demon siren, terrified, tried to retreat.

But with only one leg, it ended up falling onto its back.

“Ahhhh!”

He didn’t understand any of what it was saying. But he could clearly sense that it was a last cry of desperation, a plea for life.

The scaly creature used its arms to drag itself backward, but Kang Geom-Ma kept advancing, each step steady.

The siren snapped its fingers frantically, trying to summon more magic. But it no longer had any energy. All it could manage were tiny, harmless sparks.

Crunch, crunch.

With each step Kang Geom-Ma took, the siren tried to pull itself away, crawling like a fish out of water.

“Ahhhh!”

Seeing the deadly gleam in Kang Geom-Ma’s blade, the siren writhed and screamed in desperation.

Slash—

A brief, clear sound as a perfect diagonal line appeared across the creature’s neck.

Kang Geom-Ma’s sword slid through with an ease that defied even the resistance of the air.

A second later, the siren’s head slid off smoothly from its neck, landing in the pond with a soft splash.

Its body quivered slightly before collapsing, like a fallen pine tree.

At the same time, the rain soaking the ground ceased, and the faint mist that covered the area began to dissipate.

Kang Geom-Ma stood still, unmoving, his back to his companions.

‘He’s done it.’

He had defeated a demon. And he had done it alone, as a first-year student.

Speed Weapon’s and Rachel’s pupils slowly widened as they realized what had just happened.

That feat made it clear who was truly strong, in the most absolute sense.

While Speed Weapon continued to watch the scene, lost in disbelief, he saw Kang Geom-Ma drop his sword and collapse to his knees as blood began to pour from his mouth and chest.

“Geom-Ma!” Rachel, having recovered from her shock, rushed toward him.

Leon, meanwhile, could barely prop himself up, struggling to catch his breath.

Speed Weapon, though also at his limit, utterly exhausted, held his trembling legs, determined to save that man at all costs.

Stifling a groan, he began to move toward the pond, almost dragging himself.

His body was entirely drained after using all his energy to heal Leon. He could barely keep his joints steady.

Step, step, step.

At that moment, he heard the sound of several footsteps approaching. Could it be that the group of mermen who had fled had decided to come back? If that were the case, they were doomed.

A chill ran down his spine. Heart pounding, Speed Weapon turned his head.

It was Abel, holding Chloe, along with the members of his team, running toward them as fast as they could.

They had finally arrived.

“At last…”

Feeling a wave of relief, Speed Weapon let himself fall back into the mud, lying flat on the ground.

His eyes drifted toward the sky, through the parted clouds.